Lecture Notes to Midterm 1

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School

McGill University

Department

Political Science

Course

POLI 222

Professor

Antonia Maioni

Semester

Winter

Description

POLI 222
January 7, 2014
Office 1130 PineAve. West
Mondays 1-3
January 8, 2014
Key concepts:
• Politics
• Power
• The state
• Government
• Authority
• Legitimacy
• Democracy
Politics is about obtaining, managing power and using it to decide on the distribution of
scarce resources.  Should reflect values
“Who gets what, when, and where.” (Lasswell)
• Politics has two aspects:
o Power: the ability to influence and decide
o Conflict: the way in which this comes about
Characteristics of power
• For the public good (John Locke)
o Making laws with threat of penalty
o Regulation of property
o Defense
• In the authoritative allocation of scarce resources (David Easton)
• Variants of power [interrelated]:
o Influence
 Diplomacy, persuasion, argument, knowledge, news media, beauty,
charisma
o Authority
 Profession, hereditary position, election, marital status, family
order, ownership, credentials
o Coercion
 Verbal threat, weapons, blackmail, extortion, physical size, fines,
prison, torture
o Downward spectrum from soft power to hard power
 “Walk softly, but carry a big stick.” Characteristics of conflict
• “Political conflict arises over the allocation of values and/or resources.” (David
Easton)
• Values: belief in what is moral, important, worthy, etc.
o Euthanasia
o Pro-life vs. pro-choice in the abortion debate
o The definition of marriage
o The death penalty
• Resources: property, money, food, etc.
o Property disputes
o Budgetary debates
o Government cutbacks
o Collective bargaining
The state
• Max Weber: the state is a set of institutions that:
o Possesses the means of violence and coercion against its citizens
o Controls a geographically defined territory in which a society is contained
o Monopolizes rule-making in its territory
• The state has:
o Ageographically defined border
o Apeople/nation
o An army to defend its borders
o Acurrency and a monetary policy
o International recognition
 By the UN
o Political system
o Agovernment
 Its own laws
 Responsibility for its citizens
o Diplomatic relations
o Treaties and allies
Four branches of government
• Legislature
• Executive
• Bureaucracy
• Judiciary
•  Legitimacy: the ability to exert power
o The rules and institutions that constitute the state, and which determine
how governments are chosen, are accepted by most people as being
reasonable. Democracy is…
• “Apolitical system based on the formal political equality of all citizens, in which
there is a realistic possibility that voters can replace the government, and in which
certain basic rights and freedoms are protected,” (Brooks/Menard, p. 25).
• Democracy is government by consent of those who are governed
• Values:
o Popular sovereignty: people have a final say
o Political equality
o Political freedom
o Majority rule
January 10, 2014
Change to syllabus: midterms on Mondays, not Wednesdays.
Value: a belief in what is good or bad, what is important, what something is worth.
Ideology: a set of interrelated values and beliefs about how society is organized and how
it ought to function.
Political culture: the characteristic values, beliefs, and behaviours of a society’s
members in regard to politics.
Three main ideologies in Canada (Horowitz):
• Democratic socialism – social justice (equality)
• Liberalism – freedom (opportunity)
• Conservatism – order (responsibility)
• There are significant ideological overlaps between Canadian political parties.
• Strong foundation of democratic socialism not true of every nation.
• Very strong strain of liberalism equality of opportunity, level playing field
• Conservatism rooted in sense of government’s primary purpose as ensuring
order. Balance of responsibilities and rights, government ensure that people live
up to responsibilities.
• Party names=/= ideological standing of party
Socialism:
• Based on the collective or state ownership of the means of production
• Equality
• Redistribution of wealth
• Complete or partial ownership of the means of production
• Social programs and active, engaged government
• I.e. nationalization of energy (Petro Canada)
• Tempered, not revolutionary (accepts democracy) Liberalism:
• Belief that the state must protect individual liberty, personal choice, and the right
to private property
• Individualism
• Constitutional protection for rights and freedoms
• Protection of private property
• Liberal democracy
Conservatism:
• Belief that traditions and social order are important, and that gradual change is
best
• Social stability and continuity
• Family values
• Right-wing politics
• Maintaining social and religious institutions
Left
• Collectivist and social justice ideas
• Ideologies and political parties that advocate social reform
Right
• Ideas and ideologies that advocate social order, protection of private property,
economic freedom and capitalism
Centre
• The mainstream of a society’s politics
Approaches to Political Culture:
• Fragmentation theory (Hartz)
o Ideological development determined by characteristics of values of early
immigrants
o I.e. liberalism in US 17 /18 century Britain liberalism
• Formative events (Lipset)
o Major events at critical periods in a society’s development
o Why did the fragmentation happen?
• Economic (class analysis)
o Small minorities use the state to control wealth to maintain their social and
economic dominance
o Natural resources, concentration of wealth
o Not just about beginning, but about economic landscape
Political culture:
• Common ends (“peace, order, and good government”) • Similar responses to the law
• Similar behaviours toward the government
What unites Canada?
• History
• Land mass
• Weather
• Common political institutions
• Communication and transportation links
• Interests (in a peaceful and prosperous society)
• Values, attitudes, ideas and culture
(Possible) common symbols
• Queen/Governor General
• Flag
• National anthem
• Parliament buildings
• Monuments
• National holidays
• National heroes
• Constitutions
• Maple leaf
• Democratic values
o “Government by consent of those who are governed”
o Political sovereignty (people have the final say)
o Political equality
o Political freedom
o Majority rule
• Political values
o Representative democracy
o Personal freedom and civil liberties
o Equality before the law and respect for the law
o Coexistence with others (ethnic groups, religions, socio-economic classes)
 Uniquely enshrined in Charter (multiculturalism)
o Charter values
• Values about rights
o Freedom of speech, conscience/religion, association, peaceful assembly
o Minority rights
 Language, non-discrimination (race, sex, handicap),
multiculturalism and diversity
Canadian values expressed through: • Constitutional monarchy/representative democracy
• Respect for law/judicial system
• Federalism
• Social programs
• Attitudes toward fairness, sharing, queuing
What divides Canadians?
• Regional differences
• Class/economic differences
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Age
• Rural/urban split
• Ideologies
• Fault lines:
o Quebec-Canada relations
o Aboriginal demands for self-government
o American influence on Canadian culture and economy
o Regional tensions
January 20, 2014
Relationship with US
• Asymmetrical economic relationship
o Highly dependent on US markets for exports and imports
o Over ½ of US investment in CA is located in Ontario andAlberta
o About 1/3 of Canada’s GDP comes form trade, of which roughly 80% is
with the US
o Canada went from being a net importer of investment capital to a net
exporter around 1996. Canada is one of the top 10 sources of foreign
investment in theAmerican economy.
• Friendly neighbor political relationship
o Has ups and downs
 Share a border conflicts about border issues, continental issues,
softwood lumber, opinions on war (Vietnam, Iraq)
 9/11 example of strength of relationship
 Role in IR dominated by close relationship with the US
 Sometimes where you stand depends on where you sit
• Middle power vs. superpower global relationship
How do Canadians perceive themselves?
• Often in comparison to the US Regionalism
• Population density is low
• Changing ethnic landscape
o Always been very diverse
o Aboriginal peoples diverse amongst themselves
• Several climactic zones
• Natural resources (wildlife, agriculture, mining, wood, OIL)
Demography:
• 51% live in :
o Golden Horseshoe
o Calgary-Edmonton
o MontrealArea
o Vancouver island/mainland??
• Largest foreign-born population 18%
• >1% population growth per year
Natural resources
• Mineral
• Renewable
• Fossil fuels
• Hydropower
Staples:
• Fishing
• Fur trade
• Industrial Revolution
• Agriculture and wood
• Free trade
Differences based on geography
• Territories: Nunavut, Yukon, NWT
• Pacific Region/Rocky Mountains: BC
• Prairie-Provinces:AB, SK, Manitoba
• ….
Regionalism isn’t just geography, but also politics
• North-South divide
• West vs. East western alienation
• Maritime provinces vs. central provinces: eastern alienation
• Urban/rural split long gun registry for example
• Economic differences: have/have-not provinces • Linguistic/cultural: Quebec vs. ROC
• Demonstrated by:
o The party system
o Western alienation
 Let em freeze in the dark
o Economic disparities
o Intergovernmental conflict
• Addressed by:
o Communication:
 CBC, CRTC
o Transportation:
 CN Rail, Via Rail
 Air Canada
 Trans-Canada Highway, Trans-Canada Pipeline
o Equalization
 Constitutional principle on equalization
 Regional development programs
o Parliamentary structures:
 Political parties strive for regional representation in the HOC so
they can claim to be pluralistic.
 The Canadian Senate was designed to increase the representation
of regions with low MP representation
• Ontario: 24 seats
• Quebec: 24 seats
• Maritimes: 24 seats
• Newfoundland/Labrador: 6 seats
• Western provinces: 24 seats
• Territories: 3 seats
 Regional groups should be represented in cabinet
• Region
• Aboriginal people
• Women
• French Canada/Quebec
• Immigrants
February 3, 2014
• Lord Durham: “Two nations warring in the bosom of a single state,”
• Demographics:
o 31% speak French
o 25% have French ancestry (declining)
o Roman Catholic church and la survivance
o La revanche des berceaux  Higher birth rate
 Encouraged by the Catholic Church
 “Patriotic birth”
o The Quiet Revolution and “maîtres chez nous”
 Masters of our own house.
• Nationalism
o The province as an engine of modernization and nationalism
o Polling
o Rising support for sovereignty until recently
o Federalism: Conditional on protection for culture and language
 Not seen as something that allows them to assert autonomy, does
the opposite
 Provides barriers to sufficient culturally protectionist autonomy
o Increased identification as Québécois (i.e. not Canadian)
o 74% still feel strong attachment to Canada
o The compact theory: a myth of two founding nations
o October crisis 1970: War MeasuresAct
 Kidnapping of British trade commissioner and minister of transport
(assassinated) by FLQ
 Mailbox explosions, etc.
 Suspension of civil liberties
 Federal government asserted authority over Quebec
o The Quiet Revolution
 Revolution of the Quebec state
 Building up powers and capacity ended to put Quebec’s social and
economic house in order
 Motivated by state becoming motor of economy
 Doctrine that suggested that Quebec was distinct because it should
have autonomy/sovereignty over the areas in its jurisdiction
(education, social programs, etc.)
 Language laws
• Not a “separatist plot”
• Developed since 1960s to slow down erosion of French
language
o Bill 22 (Loi sur la langue officielle), 1974: Move towards unilingual
French
o “Failures”:
 First referendum on separation: 1980 (sovereignty association)
 Repatriation of the ConstitutionAct: 1982
 The last straw
• The failure of the Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown
Accords (1992) on Quebec as a distinct society
 Led to: • Creation of the Bloc Quebecois
• Second referendum on separation in 1995
• The ClarityAct (2000)
• Pre-Constitution
o 1759: British conquest
o 1774: QuebecAct
o 1791: ConstitutionAct
o 1840:Act of Union
o 1867: British NorthAmerican ConstitutionAct/The ConstitutionAct
• Post-Constitution
o 1870: Red River Rebellion
o 1885: North-West Rebellion
o 1890: Official LanguageAct (Manitoba)
o 1913: Regulation 17 (Ontario)
o 1917: First Conscription Crisis
 Didn’t feel connected to imperial imposition
o 1944: Second Conscription Crisis
 Quebec’s sense of autonomous purpose within Canada as a whole
 Voluntary service until late in the war (not enough bodies)
o 1980 and 1995: Referenda
• ***Phrases:
o La survivance: Survival of a “people”
o Je me souviens: